Editor critiques are invaluable in many ways. They offer insights and takeaways that if we’re open to receiving them, they can improve our stories and lead to publishing contracts in unexpected ways. Some of the best ways to meet editors who are actively looking to acquire new manuscripts are face-to-face or virtually at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrator (SCBWI) conferences,
Continue Reading Cover Reveal: Carmen Oliver on Turning Editor Critiques into Published Books »
Spotlight image above: A.A. Prime accepts the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative Translated YA Book Prize. See the entire presentation here.
Early in the pandemic, the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative named two winners of its 2020 Translated YA Book Prize: The Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi,
Continue Reading Guest Interview: A. A. Prime on Translating Red Mantle »
By Varsha Bajaj
Count Me In (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2019) is an uplifting story of a community rallying to support its own. It is a story that celebrates finding your voice.
In 2020, it was a finalist for the Global Read Aloud program which helped librarians and teachers find it.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Varsha Bajaj Makes Real Connections in a Virtual World »
Today we welcome Veeda Bybee to the Cynsations team as a reporter. With a background in journalism as well as someone who participates enthusiastically in conversations surrounding the kidlit community, she is well-suited in this role. Veeda has contributed to the anthologies Rural Voices, edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter (Candlewick,
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Stephani Eaton, Suma Subramaniam, Bree Bender and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: I Am Thinking My Life by Allysun Atwater, illustrated by Stevie Lewis (Bala Kids,
By Rebecca Kirshenbaum
Two-time Schneider Award Winner and 2018 National Book Awards Finalist Leslie Connor talks about her new middle grade novel, Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? (Katherine Tegen, 2022), the power of research, and the beauty of symbiotic friendships.
Your newest novel, Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?,
I am thrilled to welcome Michael Leali to the Cynsations Team as a reporter. He brings such positivity to anything he does, I know our readers will love his contributions! Michael’s middle grade novel The Civil War of Amos Abernathy (HarperCollins) debuts this May and we are excited to celebrate with him.
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Lynne Marie for a long time, after meeting at a SCBWI conference and later rooming together. Not only is she a talented writer, but she generously devotes most of her time to mentoring other authors. And many of them have gone on to publish picture books—a few of these authors writing for her imprint Dancing Flamingo Press.
Continue Reading Lynne Marie Talks About the Value of Writing Mentorships to the Writing Journey »
This morning, Mary Ann Cappiello, Professor of Language and Literacy at Lesley University, and Xenia Hadjioannou, Associate Professor of Language and Literacy Education at the Harrisburg campus of Penn State University, sent the letter below to The New York Times requesting that the paper add three children’s nonfiction bestseller lists to parallel the existing picture book,
Continue Reading Announcing the #KidsLoveNonfiction Campaign »
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, Gayleen Rabakukk, Stephani Eaton, Suma Subramaniam, Bree Bender and Gail Vannelli for Cynsations
Spotlight Image: Fly by Brittany J. Thurman, illustrated by Anna Cunha (Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2022).
Author/Illustrator Insights
Authors Share Readers’ Letters to Show Impact of Books by Kara Yorio from School Library Journal.